What's His Name?
Genesis 1 – Revelation 22
Some time ago, a group of missionaries journeyed far into the wilderness. I believe it was Africa, but it may have been on some other continent. The location doesn’t matter. What matters is what happened when those missionaries arrived in a remote village, believing that they were there to tell the good news about Jesus to this primitive tribe. As soon as they identified themselves as Christian missionaries, one of the men excitedly grabbed one of the missionaries by the arm and said, “What’s His name?” Confused, the missionary said, “What is whose name?” The native man replied, “I know that God sent His Son to die for me so that I could go to heaven. But I don’t know what His Son’s name is. What is His name?”
That man and the rest of the people in his village had been given direct revelation from God. They knew they needed a Savior, and they knew that God’s Son was that Savior who had died for them on the cross. All they wanted to know was His Name. Awesome, isn’t it?
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So what IS His Name? We know His name is Jesus – which means, “God saves”. But the Bible gives us hundreds of other names for Jesus. Just as God has many names in scripture, so Jesus does, too. Each of those names gives us a small picture of one portion of His infinite character. There are hundreds of names for Jesus in the Bible, but let’s just take a look at a few:
In Revelation 1:8, He’s called the Almighty. In Revelation 22:13, He’s Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Titus 2:13 says He’s our Blessed Hope. Mark 2:20 and Matthew 25:1, 6 say He’s the bridegroom. In Matthew 1:23, He’s Emmanuel, God with Us. In the Psalms and in Isaiah, He’s the Holy One of Israel. Matthew 5:35 calls Him the Great King, while in Revelation 17 and 19, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In Hebrews 7 we learn He is the King of Peace and the King of Righteousness. John tells us He is the Lamb of God. Matthew and Mark both call Him the Christ. In Isaiah 28:16, He’s a precious cornerstone. Revelation 5:5 says He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the root of David. Luke calls Him the great Physician. In Hebrews 8, we learn that He is our only High Priest. Revelation 22 says He is the Bright Morning Star. Isaiah and John both tell us He’s the Savior. Mark says He is the Stone Which the Builders Rejected. John tells us He is the Truth. And both John’s Gospel and his Revelation tell us that Jesus is the Word of God.
In John 8:24, Jesus tells us, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." Who does He claim to be? He tells us in John 8:58, "I tell you the truth - before Abraham was born, I am!" The next verse tells us that the people picked up stones to stone Him, but He slipped away. Why did they want to stone Him? Because, in their minds, He had committed blasphemy! He had told them that He was "I AM" – the one and only God who confronted Moses at the burning bush. (Exodus 3)
Since we’re coming closer to Christmas, there is one passage which contains several of His names and which we all recognize as a prophesy about Jesus’ birth. Read this passage – Isaiah 9:6-7 – and meditate on the significance of each of the names the prophet Isaiah gave to Jesus as he wrote this prophesy nearly 700 years before Jesus was born….
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
As we prepare to celebrate His birth, just remember – Jesus IS the reason for the season. His Name is the Name above all names, and the day will come – possibly in the not-too-distant future - when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
From Newsong Ministries
Newsong6@bellsouth.net
Used with permission.
